Alberto
Contrador of Spain, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, rides
in between media motorcycles to win the 18th stage of the Tour de France
cycling race, on Thursday, July 23, 2009. The pictured videographer and
others throughout the Tour employed Audio-Technica AT835ST M-S Stereo
Shotgun Microphones to capture live audio of the race. Photo by Bas Czerwinski/AP
Photo. (This
photo is the property of Bas Czerwinski/AP Photo and may be used by the
press only for the purpose of one-time reproduction. Unauthorized use,
alteration or reproduction of this photograph is strictly prohibited.)

AUDIO-TECHNICA STEREO SHOTGUN MICROPHONES FOLLOW THE
TOUR DE FRANCE THROUGH EVERY TURN AND PASS

— Camera-mounted stereo shotgun microphone picked up the nuances
of the most famous bicycle race in the world

— Camera operators on the back seats of five motorcycles shadowed
the 2,200-mile race start to finish, creating an exciting soundbed along
the way —

STOW, OH, July 29, 2009 — Viewers of the
2009 Tour de France saw hundreds of racers cover over 2,200 miles between
July 4th and July 26th, each vying for the finish line on Paris’
Avenue des Champs-Elysées. They also heard an amazing soundscape
of determined cyclists straining to climb mountains, the rattle of bicycles
bunching up in the peloton and the crowds cheering them along, thanks
to Audio-Technica
AT835ST M-S Stereo Shotgun Microphones, mounted to the cameras on five
motorcycles that cover the miles-long pack of racers. The AT835ST microphones
were provided by the Societé Française de Production (SFP),
a division of the Euro Media Group, which has been a longtime supplier
of broadcast technology and services to the Tour de France and other
major sporting events.

Throughout the race, the motorbike crews covered the action
from top to bottom, pacing the riders and collecting crowd reaction
effects. The audio, embedded with the video signal, was sent via low-power
broadcast to a pair of helicopters and two circling airplanes. They,
in turn, relayed the signals to three ground relays in trucks, which
sent it via satellite or terrestrial links to outside broadcasting (OB)
vans located near the finish line.

“We chose Audio-Technica stereo shotgun mics because
they are good-quality microphone solutions for this application,”
explains Luc Geoffroy, CTO of the Euro Media Group. “The mics
are robust, with excellent sonic characteristics to pick up sound in
a mobile situation, and they can do it with exceptional directivity,
providing good rejection of unexpected wind and other noise. They’re
lightweight and small, making them a good fit for how we use them on
the motorbikes, and they also give us a good stereo image with excellent
separation. And they’re very easy to use and highly reliable.”

…ends 287 words

Photo File: TourdeFrance.JPG
Photo Caption: Alberto Contrador of Spain, wearing the overall leader's
yellow jersey, rides in between media motorcycles to win the 18th stage
of the Tour de France cycling race, on Thursday, July 23, 2009. The
pictured videographer and others throughout the Tour employed Audio-Technica
AT835ST M-S Stereo Shotgun Microphones to capture live audio of the
race. Photo by Bas Czerwinski/AP Photo. (This photo is the property
of Bas Czerwinski/AP Photo and may be used by the press only for the
purpose of one-time reproduction. Unauthorized use, alteration or reproduction
of this photograph is strictly prohibited.)

Please note: With its move to the Broadcast and Production
line, Audio-Technica’s AT835ST has a new model number: BP4029.
The two models’ performance specifications are identical.

Celebrating over 45 years of audio excellence worldwide,
Audio-Technica is a leading innovator in transducer technology, renowned
for the design and manufacture of microphones, wireless microphones,
headphones, mixers, and electronics for the audio industry.